The longstanding controversy over the construction of Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh has taken a new turn with the Central Government on Saturday pulling out from the task of carrying out public hearings on the project in Odisha and Chhattisgarh.
The Supreme Court had earlier directed the Centre to submit terms and conditions for public hearings in Odisha and Chhattisgarh by December 1 and the latter had given its consent to it.
But in its reply in this connection, the Centre on Saturday filed a petition seeking apologies and informed the court that it had mistakenly given its approval for carrying out public hearings by employing special agencies.
Meanwhile, all eyes are now fixed on the three-member Division Bench of the Supreme Court which is scheduled to hold its next hearing in the matter on Monday (December 3).
Hearing a petition filed by the Odisha Government and a Telagana-based NGO RELA, the apex court had on November 29 expressed its shock on how a mega project like Polavaram was undertaken without any public hearing.
However, Central Government officials informed that public hearings in both the States were held earlier.
Earlier on November 21, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene and stop construction of the Polavaram project till all pending issues are resolved.